Referee Confirms a Major Change Supposed to Be Made Following the Canadiens vs. Rangers Game
We witnessed a unique sequence last night during the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. The visiting goalie at the Bell Centre, Jonathan Quick, actually used Juraj Slafkovsky's stick to make a save.
See the scene in question right here.
These images sparked reactions, especially since many Canadiens fans were calling for a penalty on the play.
It wasn't called initially, but Dave Jackson, the former NHL referee (now an analyst for ESPN), has just confirmed that a penalty should definitely have been called on this sequence.
We've received a lot of questions about this, and here's the answer.
The officials really should have changed their decision and penalized Quick!
A Referee confirms a bad decision by the officials at the Bell Centre last night against the Montreal Canadiens
See the explanation below:
So Quick picked up Slafkovskiy's stick and started playing with it.
- Stu Cowan
- Stu Cowan
And the expert's response:
You are not allowed to pick up an opponent's stick on the ice, but this can be very confusing when it happens in real time, as the referees are busy monitoring infractions in and around the puck, meaning they aren't focused on who is using which stick.»
- Dave Jackson
So we have our answer.
At least the Montreal Canadiens still ended the night with the big two points, and that's really what matters. Plus, Slafkovsky had the last laugh, getting his revenge in the third period by tying the game.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 20 | 1813 ANSWERS Referee Confirms a Major Change Supposed to Be Made Following the Canadiens vs. Rangers Game Should there have been a penalty called on Jonathan Quick in your opinion? | ||
| Yes | 1664 | 91.8 % |
| No | 149 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team United States at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531078.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team United States at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) stops Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531009.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) stops Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530954.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
